This week in rich people problems: Former Hollywood execs struggle to cope

The metamorphosis from exceptionally rich and powerful to only sort of rich and powerful can be oh so hard for those who are used to the best of everything. Just imagine losing your table at Mr. Chow, getting snubbed by A-lister friends, or, worst of all, flying commercial.The horror!

But believe it or not, some washed-up millionaires are enduring in spite of it all, according to the New York Times.

Currently coping with the loss of their jobs are: Jeffrey Katzenberg, who was the chief of DreamWorks Animation; Jim Gianopulos, the soon-to-be replaced CEO of Twentieth Century Fox; Anne Sweeney, former president of Disney-ABC Television Group; and Philippe Dauman, former President, CEO of Viacom.

“It’s upsetting, no question, when you are suddenly dislodged from your life. You’re raw, and you’re vulnerable,” Rob Moore, former vice chairman of Paramount Pictures, told the Times. “Even though you know this eventually happens to most everyone at a certain level in Hollywood — that’s just how it works in a hit-driven business — it’s still a surprise.”

One unnamed former master of the universe informed the Times that they were perplexed when they arrived at an airport and were confronted with a touch-screen check-in procedure. Sadly, their private jet was no longer waiting.

Anne Sweeney, who recently left her job as president of the Disney-ABC Television Group, revealed to the Times, “I learned that a job is just a piece of you, it isn’t all of you. So many times, especially in Hollywood, that distinction can get lost. You have to reclaim yourself, and you have to do it without worrying what other people think. We are more than other people’s definitions of us.”
One thing that these media moguls have in common? They’re all going to be just fine.